


Part of the Recovery Process

by thewightknight



Category: Black Panther (2018), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Black Panther (2018) Spoilers, M/M, Post-Black Panther (2018)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 05:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13804431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/pseuds/thewightknight
Summary: Bucky seems to be adapting well to life in Wakanda.





	Part of the Recovery Process

“Captain Rogers. Good to see you again.”

Steve gave Nakia that grin of his, half cocky, half self-conscious.

“I don’t think I warrant that title anymore, ma’am.”

“What those fools do or don’t think makes very little difference here,” Nakia scoffed. “Come. He’s down at the border village.”

She didn’t have to ask. Barnes was always his first concern.

They took one of the Daggers out from Birnin Zana, circling the village before landing so Steve could fully appreciate the view. She set them down next to the water a few hundred yards away from the cluster of huts. A horde of children descended on the jet, shrieking in delight when she disembarked, Rogers trailing behind her.

 _You are here to see the White Wolf?_ one of them asked as they danced around the two of them. _He’s in there!_ One of the children pointed to a hut towards the rear of the cluster. Nakia smiled, ruffling the child's hair before she could get away.

No one emerged from the hut as they approached but they could hear giggles emanating from within. When Nakia parted the curtain to look inside, a chuckle escaped her as well.

Bucky Barnes, the former Winter Soldier, a fearsome killer with Hydra’s super serum coursing through his veins, sat crisscross-applesauce in the middle of the floor. Five girls surrounded him. One wielded a comb and the others held handfuls of brightly colored cords and beads and feathers.

“Wow, Buck. That’s … a good look for you,” Steve choked out, holding in his own laughter.

“I wanted a haircut,” Bucky said. He tried to scowl up at the girls, but the corners of his mouth twitched, creeping upwards in spite of his efforts to look stern. The braids they’d already finished swung back and forth, the beads a rainbow pendulum just beneath his jaw.

_We’re almost finished! Doesn’t he look pretty?_

_You mean handsome,_ Bucky corrected them before Nakia could respond.

“Handsome indeed, isn’t he, Captain?” Steve had picked up enough Wakandan to get the gist of the conversation, and Nakia couldn’t help but tease him, just to see if she could get him to blush again. He reminded her of T’Challa during the first days of their courtship when he got like this.

 _Finish up quickly, children. The adults need him._ She let the curtain fall and turned back to the lake.

When Bucky emerged, blinking against the sunlight reflected off the water, she bit back another grin. They’d wrapped his top braids up into two little buns on either side of his head, secured with red, yellow and green braid. The rest swung just above his shoulders, beads clacking together as he moved.

 _Hard to be stealthy like this,_ he grumbled, but she could see the laughter in his eyes, so different from when he’d first come to them.

“You just have to put them all up. I’m sure they’ve got some extra ribbon,” Steve said, carefully deadpan.

“Fuck you, Rogers.”

“Right back at you.” Steve reached out, twining one of the braids between his fingers. “You look good, Buck. And I don’t mean just the hair.”

Nakia wandered away, giving them some space. There were things they needed to discuss, but they could wait, at least until after sunset. Wakandan sunsets demanded respect and admiration. She’d give this one hers, enough for the three of them, as the two men were oblivious to anything but each other. Their murmurs blended in with the lapping of the water against the shore as the sun dipped below the mountains, painting the sky in brilliant reds.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you want to say hi, [check out my profile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/profile) for where I’m currently hanging out on this here internet thing.


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